If you are a Do-It-Yourselfer like me, then you understand how rewarding it can be to learn lots of fun new things and create something that hasn't existed before. It's fun to save money, too. :) But DIYing comes with a curse. The URGE. The urge to do it all, whether you actually have the time and skills or not. I'm finding myself especially stubborn about doing all these crafty/sewing/educational projects for my classroom BY MYSELF, which I *know* is just silly, really. I only have a month and a half and that's not actually much time to learn, say, how to reupholster a couch or sew a new cushion cover for my soon-to-be-awesome chair...for example. :) And yet I can't find it in me to ask anyone for help, because then I can't swell up with pride and memories every time I look at it. And I can't really blog about it. :) I guess it comes down to whether or not the process or the product is more important right now? Maybe in a few weeks when crunch time really hits I'll be a little more humble? :)
I saved two birds yesterday. They tried to nest in our dog-poop-trash-can (of all smelly places!) on our patio and when the lid came down they couldn't get out again. One bird was very panicked and fluttering up, making a fuss, which is how I even noticed. I looked over from watering my herbs and saw this bird head keep popping up in the little slit between the lid and trash can, and I felt bad for the poor bird (but also scared to open it and have it fly at ME or something). So I grabbed the poker thingy from the fireplace tool set and opened the lid from a distance, thinking it would just fly away. Well, no. It hopped up and perched on the edge and just stared me down...even when I went inside it just stood guard for a minute before flying away. I thought,
Why is that bird hanging around so protectively? Oh no, please don't be building a nest! So I went to peek inside, and I didn't see a nest but ANOTHER BIRD. The female. (I "know" this because I took a bird-watching class at BYU over a decade ago. :) Crouching and looking up rather strangely at me. I tried scaring it away but the only thing that worked was tipping the trash can on its side and letting it slowly hop out and then fly away, unthreatened. I shudder a little to think of two dead birds stuck in my trash can, covered in poop. Crisis averted!
Frozen grapes are the epitome of summer. Well, they're up there, anyway, right along with the smell of chlorine in sunshine, a good thunderstorm, and snowcones. :) But I miss chocolate. (I haven't given it up or anything, I'm just being good and saving it for special occasions or, y'know, when I need it. We aren't keeping it around the house much for now though.) I've also been good and going on bike rides, doing yoga, or dancing with my non-judgmental partner Kinect every day. Still not losing weight...not sure why...but at least I'm not gaining. And soon I'll be able to take out the trash without getting winded! :)
I just finished "Magyk"--the first book in the Septimus Heap series--have any of you read it? I think it's the first book in a while that I just really didn't like, but it's got such a great following/reviews, and kids love it, and I'm curious why. I have a HUGE stack of books to read before school starts...but I'm always open to suggestions. I'm also thinking about taking a day every couple of weeks or even once a week just to read stuff *I* like again. :) We'll see if we have time for that. :)
